Issue - meetings
Quarterly Internal Audit Assurance Report
Meeting: 26/09/2013 - Audit Committee (Item 5)
5 Quarterly Internal Audit Assurance Report PDF 96 KB
To note the contents of the report and to take account of the assurance opinion assigned to the systems reviewed during the period.
Additional documents:
- 5.2a appx1 Quarterly Assurance Report, item 5
PDF 48 KB
- 5.2b appx2 Quarterly Assurance Report, item 5
PDF 122 KB
Minutes:
At the Chair's invitation the Head of Audit and Risk Management presented the report which summarised the internal audits undertaken for the period June - August 2013 and reported their assurance ratings. He advised that 16 audits had taken place and of these, nine extensive audits and three moderate audits had returned substantial assurance while four extensive audits had returned limited assurance. Officers of audits in the latter category were present to discuss findings.
Management and Control of Void Dwellings – Follow up Audit:
The Head of Audit and Risk Management informed the Committee that this audit had returned a limited assurance since four of the six areas of improvement identified in the previous audit had yet to be completed.
Molly Wallis, Interim Head of Neighbourhoods THH was present to answer questions. She informed the Committee that since she had been in-post she had worked to address the key recommendations relating to rigour in data recording and the management of void dwellings. She advised that the following actions had been taken:
· The voids process had been reviewed
· Additional training given to ensure procedures were understood
· Date, notice served on tenant / tenant signed V2 tenancy termination form now recorded on the SX 3 system
· Ensure that each property file contained all key documents necessary for the property and also a standard tick-list of the documents required
· Key documents included:
o gas inspection certificate
o electricity inspection certificate
o void keys record sheet
· Tick-list to be retained by the originating officer to verify that documents had been correctly scanned to the relevant property file
· Pre-determination inspections were carried out
· Practical measures to ensure that, in future, managers follow the void management procedures in full
· Past mis-filed data, where discovered, was corrected
She advised that, to ensure consistency, she monitored much of the work in person.
In response to Members questions the following information was provided:
Potential adverse impact of decent homes programme works on the time taken to prepare and re-let a void property:
· the Committee was informed that there was no impact because the works were administered under different criteria. Void properties were made ready for letting under ‘day-to-day repairs’ programme while the decent homes programme was administered via Surveyors Team. If a property that became void was assessed to require work under the decent homes renovation programme, it would then be removed from the day-to-day repairs list. Alternatively if a property in a block undergoing decent homes renovations became void, it would be either used as a respite property or withheld from letting until the works were complete.
Query relating to a delay of several months for work under the decent homes programme:
· the Committee was informed that this work was administered through the Surveyors Team and therefore a written answer would be provided to Councillor Mukit
Whether delays in the decent homes programme’s schedule of works resulted in a delay in lettings of the properties:
· the Committee was advised that the approach taken would be dependent on ... view the full minutes text for item 5